House of Trusses/ Rocco Arquitetos

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Text description provided by the architects.The House of Trusses was the result of a renovation in a small country residence in the interior of São Paulo with a very lean budget. The main demands of the clients were a more open and fluid space and the desire to have 3 suites in the house - originally there were 3 bedrooms, but only one suite. The original plan already split the program into two distinct volumes separated by the entrance hall and an internal courtyard. On one side, the common areas and on the other, the bedrooms.On the other side, the transformation was more extensive. Originally the plan was divided into a living room, kitchen, balcony and a small office. The solution was to demolish all the internal masonry, incorporating the balcony into the living room space and creating a single space for the living, dining and kitchen. The kitchen occupied one end and had its area expanded allowing the installation of a gas barbecue. At the other end, a fireplace was designed that also served as a television stand. In the center of the room, is the dining table.A large opening was left to the garden with sliding doors that hide behind a dry-wall. Finally, a structure with a wooden deck on the opposite side was attached to the project, serving both as a direct connection between the living room and the bedrooms, and as an open balcony.In the rectangle occupied by the bedrooms, the modifications were simpler, one bedroom gave way to a bathroom, the common bathroom was transformed into a toilet and a small strip of the patio was used to build a new bathroom for the third suite (this was the only increase in the construction perimeter).As the house had a covering slab, in addition to a pitched roof, it would be necessary to structurally readjust the support beams of the slab that rested on beams and pillars embedded in the internal masonry. Analyzing the roof's structure, it was noticed that it was supported by 3 large wooden trusses supported only on the external walls. The solution found was to demolish the slab! On the one hand, it solved the structural issues, on the other hand, it significantly increased the ceiling height and exposed the beautiful wooden trusses.